Inspiration in Vegas

It's been over a year since I visited Las Vegas but I took a couple cool photos and wanted to share them with you. While these ideas may not be 'hot' on the design scene anymore, they'd be perfect for a bride who wants to modernize her theme but not go overboard. Here's what I saw:

Hanging blooms lent some whimsy:These pomanders brought color:These draped orchids were just stunning:This indoor garden area is behind the front desk, which you can barely see in the bottom left corner:Kudos to the Bellagio and their in-house floral team!

Wedding Party Buttons

I can't imagine someone actually using these little pins at the wedding, but I think they'd be great at a rehearsal dinner or shower! What a conversation starter for two groups of people who don't know each other!

They start off with the basics:
Then get a little silly:They even have one for me!
Check out makemmingle's CafePress store!

Happy Birthday, D!

Things I'm thankful for

Hushpuppies:The Hot Light:Pirate Cutouts:Heaven:This guy:

What are you thankful for?

I've been tagged!

Uh oh -- I've been tagged! Michelle over at Fresh Floral Art brought me into a fun blog game. Here's the rules:

Players list 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, players then tags 8 people by posting their names and makes sure they know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at the tagee’s blog.

Here goes:

1. I started reading a book on my honeymoon (June, 2006) and just finished it this month.

2. I find humor in the dumbest things. This is also why I love road trips:3. Yesterday I split my toe open and hit my head on our huge mirror. I am apparently the klutzmaster.

4. I have an African Gray parrot named Chicamacomico. You can call him Mico. He likes ice cream, uncooked spaghetti noodles, and popcorn seeds. He probably hates you. He hates most people.5. I'm desperately trying to get my new website up. Soon, I promise!

6. My GPS is nicknamed Charles and programmed to speak in a British accent. It makes me and my '98 Honda Accord feel fancy.

7. Someday my husband and I will move to this place:8. I wear one contact lens. Yes, just one!

And my oh-so-lucky tag-ees are:

Kimberly Brooke Photography - Exposed

Blue Orchid Designs

Mel's Brainstorms

Style Me Pretty

Saving for a Wedding

White Lace Wedding

Polka Dot Bride

DIY Bride

Seriously?

Man....I just hope this bride didn't decide to hyphenate her name......
I just found out my friend's brother (last name Jordan) is dating a girl who's first name is Jordan. I also knew a guy named Bill Williams in college. Those are worse than Julia Gulia!
Do you know anyone with silly matching or rhyming names?

Telliegrams Contest

Weddings by Socialites is offering a great contest for free stuff! What's the prize? A $100 gift certificate to Telliegrams, quite possibly one of the trendiest & cutest favor packaging companies out there. Check out some of their cute favor ideas:You just need to check out the Telliegrams site and then tell Kelly what your favorite item is. Simple, right? Even if you don't get the grand prize there's also a promotion code for 10% off of any order. Everybody wins!

If you already have your favors, they have some other fun things too. How about clear paint buckets to hold goodies for out-of-town guests? Or mini 'brag book' photo albums? Or ribbon? You can even use your gift certificate to buy smaller-denomination certificates and give them to friends as a great engagement gift, shower gift, or even baby gift.

The Wino and I Know

Even though my university offered a class in wine tasting (!), I didn't take it because it was rumored to be one of the hardest classes in my major. Of course it probably would have been for me, since pairing wines with foods has always been an area I'm a little soft in.

Enter: amazing wine matcher website! Natalie MacLean (Canada's sommelier extraordinaire) has created a great online tool to help you pick the perfect wine for the perfect meal. It even links to recipes that help bring out the flavors of each type of wine! How helpful is this to select beverages to match your wedding fare?

Needless to say, I am no longer intimidated by choosing wines to pair with a menu since I have Nat's great tool by my side. You should check it out!

PS-Bonus points if you can sing the next verse

BOGO @ MyPublisher.com

Buy One Get One Free through this link!

Photobooks from MyPublisher.com are great gifts -- buy one for yourself and give the other to your parents, grandparents, or even your favorite wedding planner's portfolio. These would be great not only for wedding photos, but as a guestbook, for honeymoon photos, 'new house' photos, baby photos, vacation photos, or 'our dating years' photos. How about keeping all your bridal shower photos in one place and sending the extra to your hostess? Or sending a wedding album to the grandma who couldn't fly across the country?

Do you need a Wedding Day Coordinator?

If you're undecided about whether or not a wedding day coordinator is a good investment, check out this WeddingBee post and see what other brides across the globe think.

Show Me the Way

Check out these adorable maps from Couture Maps:If you have a few extra bucks, a custom map or direction card is a wonderful perk for your guests. Plus these cute designs will have your great aunt Mabel raving for years.

To see similar stationery, invitations, calligraphy, and more, visit StephannieBarba.com!

25% Off at Minnie & Emma

Use code DCDEALS to get 25% off at Minnie & Emma!

Don't Bug Me!

Keep those bugs at bay during your outdoor wedding. These are prettier than those mini aluminum buckets!Find them for cheap here.

You can also opt for repellent patches, which stick on your skin and keep bugs at bay:Find the patches here.

10% Off at Impress Rubber Stamps

Ready to get your craft on?

Take 10% off at Impress Rubber Stamps with code JULY SALE through July 22nd. Look at all these fun projects:

Do the Logo-motion

Yes, I am slowly but surely getting cheesier with the titles.While traditional wedding monograms are somewhat going out of style, I think there's always a great place to include a trendy and modern wedding logo or monogram. Not sure what I mean? Check out these amazing designs from Love Letters: